Tahoe area under avalanche warning until Friday morning

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TAHOE CITY, Calif. — An avalanche warning is in effect until Friday morning for the greater Truckee/Tahoe region, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

“High danger exists” on several slopes steeper than 30 degrees, officials reported Thursday, “due to new heavy snow slabs sitting on top of persistent weak layers.”

“Moderate” avalanche danger exists on all other regional slopes.

The warning lasts until 7 a.m. Friday and covers the Sierra Nevada between Yuba Pass on the north and Ebbetts Pass on the South, applying only to backcountry areas outside of established ski-area boundaries, according to USFS.

The warning comes amid a winter storm warning that will last until 4 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

According to various reports, a foot or more of snow had fallen above 8,000 feet by Thursday afternoon in the Sierra. As much as 2 feet is possible in higher-elevation areas.